Business notebook: Photo contest entries will become calendar

If Red Wing Downtown Main Street’s photo contest was the Olympics, Dave Ender would be biting down on his gold medal right now.

The amateur photographer submitted a scene he captured June 26 of a woman painting Third Street and took first prize in the 2012 competition.

“Taking a picture of an artist who’s painting a picture of downtown — that was creative,” DTMS program coordinator Tracy Hardyman said of Ender’s entry. “It showed that someone thought it was really cool to paint downtown. It was a neat twist.”

Ender was followed up by Norbert Marklin, who earned second prize with a photo of the Red Wing Depot in the wintertime. Snow dusts the roof of the building and bare trees can be seen in the background.

Taking home the youth prize was Matt Alms. He captured La Grange Park at sunset, and then used a method called high dynamic range imaging to add a unique element.

The winners were just a few of several people who submitted entries to Downtown Main Street’s first ever photo contest. The contest lasted nearly a year, starting in September 2011 and wrapping up at the end of June.

“We wanted pictures from all different seasons,” Hardyman explained. “We’re going to pick out 13 entries and make some calendars.”

Hardyman said she hopes the calendars will be available for purchase before Red Wing’s arts festival coming up in October. All proceeds will go toward funding planters that add esthetic appeal to the streets downtown.

• The AgStar Arena is the newest agriculture building on the Minnesota fairgrounds. After dedication ceremonies the fair’s opening day, the arena began serving as the equine and livestock facility.

AgStar Arena is 27,000 square feet and will be used by 4-H, FFA and State Fair open class exhibitors, complementing activities at the nearby Lee and Rose Warner Coliseum and the horse and cattle barns. The arena will be used seasonally for equine and livestock shows. It is located on Judson Avenue east of the Horse Barn and replaces the 1960s Judging Arena and Horse Annex.

The arena is named for AgStar Financial Services, which has a presence in Goodhue County.

• Bauer Built, Inc., acquired Hanson Tire Service, Inc., on Aug. 20.

Hanson Tire is headquartered in LeRoy, Minn., and has a location in Preston, Minn. The business has been serving the Midwest for 53 years.

Bauer Built has been in service for nearly 70 years, and now has 31 tire centers, seven Michelin Retread Technology plants and three rim and wheel refinishing operations. Among the 31 tire center locations is a facility in Red Wing.

Bauer plans to continue to operate the Hanson Tire businesses under the Hanson name.

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